"ECODIR, an Internet based dispute resolution platform designed to solve business to consumer cases, was born in Brussels in October of 2001 thanks to the financial backing of, among others, the European Union. It’s activity range has been established very narrowly in order to respect the research contract terms imposed by the European Commission, as well as judicial constraints. The platform only covers conflicts concerning at least one consumer and relating to the online medium; conflicts emerging from complex topics like fiscal and family law are therefore excluded. ECODIR is not an arbitration forum, it only deals in mediation: the possibility to turn towards the legal system if discussions fail is always an alternative. The authors of this paper evaluate the structure of the system after presenting the three phases of its procedure. They then analyze the impact of the European Commission’s recommendations and directives before concentrating on the weight of the solutions issued from the procedure."